BACOLOD City Mayor Evelio Leonardia said yesterday he will support the City Council in conducting a separate investigation on the alleged P1.5-million bribery in the issuance of City Mall Mandalagan’s occupancy permit.
“I am for transparency and any action that can clear the issues, I support it,” Leonardia said.
Engineer Isidro Sun, head of the Office of the Building Official (OBO), had earlier said he hopes the council will call for a public hearing to determine the truth.
Last week, a text message was circulated stating that an employee of an electric company was tapped by an officer of the contractor-builder to bribe seven engineers and an architect at the OBO for P1.5 million in exchange for a fake occupancy permit.
Sun said he is open for an investigation as he denied that he is involved in alleged bribery.
Leonardia said he is worried that the issue will be politicized as they believe there is someone who orchestrated the issue to blame the present administration.
He added that the City Legal Office is conducting a fact-finding investigation.
Moreover, Leonardia said he is waiting for the undertakings compliance of the City Mall which already lapsed yesterday.
On November 8, City Mall executed an undertaking through Reynaldo Tendero, project-in-charge of the mall, that in one month they will comply with their deficiencies.
Leonardia said that if the mall management fails to comply, the CLO will make the next move.
“We have to balance everything here. We want to implement the law as much as we can, but at the same time we do not want to be misunderstood by the business sector as unfriendly,” the mayor added.
